Computer-based, video gaming machines are becoming increasing common place to construct gaming devices such as slot machines, video poker games, and video roulette wheels. These automated video games utilize computing systems containing software modules to implement gaming logic. These computing systems also utilize computer video display devices to present gaming players with images of the various gaming apparatus being implemented.
These computer-based gaming systems replace mechanical systems such as slot machines comprising a plurality of rotating wheels and associated mechanical logic. The computing systems utilize a random number generator to determine a game outcome that statistically appears to be random in nature. The random numbers obtained from a random number-generating module are used to determine which symbols on the wheels of a slot machine are to be displayed when the game concludes a play. Similarly, these random numbers are used to shuffle standard decks of playing cards used in other games of chance such as poker.
These computer-based gaming machines also comprise software modules which when working together implement the rules of a particular game of chance. For a poker gaming machine, these rules include the pay-out tables used to determine any winnings paid to a player for a particular combination of winning combinations of cards found within on a particular hand. These hands may be constructed from any arrangement of cards that can form a hand of poker.
Gaming machines that accept wagers and provide winning payouts as part of their operation. In order to attract players, the gaming machines need to entice players to want to play a given machine. Additionally, the excitement from a given play of a gaming machine increases, and thus the corresponding desire of a player to place wagers, as the number of ways a player may win increases.
At the same time, the gaming establishment operators desire for players to increase the amount of wagers placed within a given time period as the games are programmed to statistically return a predetermined amount of funds wagered. As the amount wagered increases, the amount of profit to the establishment operators. statistically increases as well. Thus gaming machines are successful when they provide numerous ways for a player to win as well as increases the incentives for players to place an increased number of wagers on a given play. The present invention provides a software architecture for implementing computer-based gaming machines to address the above problems in prior systems.